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Tom Cruise surprises Comic-Con crowds with first Top Gun: Maverick trailer

Chris Gates
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Top Gun: Maverick - Official Trailer (2020) - Paramount Pictures

Edward Furlong’s return as John Conner wasn’t the only surprise that Paramount Pictures had in store for its Terminator: Dark Fate panel at Comic-Con International. During the presentation, the guests took a short break from discussing murderous robots to welcome Tom Cruise to the stage, where he revealed a trailer for Top Gun: Maverick.

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The teaser trailer opens with Ed Harris giving a quick summary of what Cruise’s character, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, has been up to since we last saw him in 1986’s Top Gun, and then drops a bombshell: Despite Mitchell’s long list of accomplishments and 30-plus years of service, the pilot is still only a captain. Exactly why remains a mystery. 

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The trailer goes on to display shots that should make Top Gun fans very happy, including Maverick’s signature leather jacket and sunglasses, a new beach volleyball scene, and lots of fighter jets.

At Comic-Con, Cruise told the Hall H audience that “everything you see in this film is real.” In order to create an authentic experience, the Top Gun: Maverick crew worked closely with the Navy to capture real plane stunts. When you see a close-up of Cruise in a cockpit, he’s sitting in the real thing. 

The long-awaited Top Gun sequel has some impressive technology behind the scenes, too. Previously, Mad Men star Jon Hamm, who appears in the film, said that the film is being shot in 6K resolution, “so it’s incredibly hi-def.”

Top Gun: Maverick will focus on Maverick’s struggle to stay relevant as drones slowly make human pilots redundant. In addition to Cruise, Miles Teller will play the son of Goose, Maverick’s wingman from the first film, who was played by ER star Anthony Edwards. Top Gun star Val Kilmer will reprise his role as Maverick’s rival, Iceman, while Hamm and Jennifer Connelly have enlisted to play new characters.

The original Top Gun told the story of Maverick’s time at the prestigious Naval Fighter Weapons School. It was directed by the late Tony Scott, and was selected for inclusion in the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry, a collection of “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” movies, in 2015. Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy) directs the sequel.

Top Gun: Maverick arrives in theaters on June 26, 2020.

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Chris Gates
Chris Gates
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Christopher Gates lives in Los Angeles, CA and writes about movies, TV, video games, and other pop culture curiosities. In…
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